Strong senior leadership propels Falmouth into tournament

Thursday

Nov 1, 2012 at 12:01 AMNov 1, 2012 at 1:09 AM

With nine seniors returning and needing to replace just three starters, the Falmouth girls soccer team had high hopes this season. Coach Greg Gilbert says it is rare that his teams have so many seniors with so much experience on the roster. The last time Falmouth had this many experienced seniors was in 2003 when it won the South Sectionals.

Matt Pulsifer

With nine seniors returning and needing to replace just three starters, the Falmouth girls soccer team had high hopes this season. Coach Greg Gilbert says it is rare that his teams have so many seniors with so much experience on the roster. The last time Falmouth had this many experienced seniors was in 2003 when it won the South Sectionals.

However, on Oct. 17, the Clippers were still mired in a .500 record at 6-6. But then they ripped off four straight wins to clinch a tournament berth, and possibly position themselves for a home playoff match. Although they lost 1-0 to a strong Plymouth South squad on senior night, Falmouth (10-7) is playing its best soccer of the season at the best possible time.

“We are doing very well, especially considering the size of the program and depth of talent,” says Gilbert. “We are one of the smallest programs in Division 1, and there are a lot of talented teams out there.”

During that winning streak, Falmouth won tough matches over Dartmouth and Sandwich. The Blue Knights had defeated Falmouth 6-3 earlier and the season, but the Clippers won the second meeting 2-1. However, that final 1-0 loss to Plymouth South was tough to take.

“We’ve done pretty well and have beaten some pretty good teams, but I’m a little disappointed in the South game,” says Gilbert. “I’m hoping that can be a little bit of a motivating disappointment. It all comes down to our kids needing to be more consistent mentally, and physically ready to play. I do feel good that in the last couple of weeks, we are certainly playing better.”

If Falmouth is going to come together and make a postseason run, it will be because of the quality of leadership from captains Shauna McManus, Tori Sciarrillo, Sarah Bunker and Aoife Callinan. “They are all world-class kids,” says Gilbert. “They never blame anyone else and are always looking at the positives. They’re all going to do really well in their lives.”

McManus is the offensive leader with 14 goals. “Hopefully she has a great playoff future ahead of her,” says Gilbert. “She’s very talented and hopefully we get some good opportunities.”

Tori Sciarillo, the only four-year player on the team, leads the way on defense after starting the season on the injured list. “She is really starting to feel comfortable,” says Gilbert. “This is like her September because she missed so much time.”

Bunker is also a stalwart defender, while Callinan is a midfield force with seven goals. “Sarah has played solid the last few games despite how much pressure has been put on her,” says Gilbert. “Aoife is solid in the middle of the field. She has a sheer desire to get to loose balls and is very consistent.”

Other seniors are Michaela Moran, Katie O’Sullivan, Meghan Ellis, Alexa Panepinto and Becca Cox. Moran is the team’s second leading scorer with 11 goals. “She’s a great talent and can strike the ball with the best of them,” says Gilbert. “She has great skills.”

The Clippers have started to get hot at the right time of the year, but there is still plenty of work to be done. Weather permitting, they still have a season finale vs. Barnstable ahead before the tournament begins.

“I think hopefully we will come together in the next couple of days,” says Gilbert. “We are very experienced with a great number of upperclassmen, so hopefully things will go well for us.”